Potential Investigated
by Darkyrie
Summary: Asher Darnell is wanting her big break as a journalist. Now, she's finally got it. However, she has one problem. She's not a big fan of the world she lives in, a Pokémon world. The readers are only interested in Pokémon. With her new assignment what will she learn about not only herself, her co-workers, her world, and...her new partner?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I'm alive! So...here is a rundown. I've lost some motivation for updating because of my job. It's depressing me and that means it hinders my writing. I don't want to do that to my readers. You guys are important to me and I don't want to give something half-assed because I feel the need to update. Anyway, I hoping this new story will bring me back. I'm not gone, just lost and need to find my way back.**

 **ANYWHO!**

 **Welcome to one of my newest stories! I don't remember how I came up with this, but I hope you'll enjoy and like the idea. This is Pokémon and Journalism. Now, I've only taken one journalism class in college and the teacher was upset that I wasn't a major so I guess that means I did pretty well. Who knows? Anyway, I'm going to try to get this accurate and I'll change it if needed through further research. We all make mistakes. Anyway, read away!**

 **Disclaimer: Again, I don't own anything related to Pokémon and only the non-traditional Pokémon characters.**

Chapter 1

'No word yet on how the fire started, but information will be provided once it becomes available.'

Asher Darnell was reading her final report she planning to submit to her boss tomorrow. She smiled proudly at her work. She got the call that night from her boss about a house fire and went out to get the facts. Finally, she had a story that seemed worthy of getting the **lead story**. Surely a story about a house fire that apparently wasn't on accident would make the front news. She got everything she needed about the Pokémon saving the kid and everything, but what about the mystery behind it. Did this connect to the other reports about the increase in criminal rates? She couldn't wait to see his face when she brought it in complete and edited.

This might be her big break. Mauville City was great and all, but that was all she covered. Mauville City this, that, enough already! The food court was robbed by a kid who wanted to feed some homeless Pokémon. Nothing new. Rydel was having a biking event in town. That happened like every month. The Game Corner was actually swindling people out of their dollars. Who didn't know that? She wanted to get out there to entire Hoenn region and even to the other regions too. Asher wanted to report on regional news. They covered league battles, champion challenges, crime, and all the works. Eventually she could move and work in cities such as Jubilife, Goldenrod, and Lumiose City that operated the globe. It would be a big promotion and her dream job. She stayed up all night making sure this was perfect for the **desk**.

Poké Press was the **bureau** where she currently worked which was located inside TV Mauville. Everyone and everything news related in Hoenn went through there. If you wanted to work in the news related business in the region there was where you had to be. It didn't take her long to get down to the network which operated both broadcasting and print news. Upon entering the building everyone moved out of her way. Asher always expected that. No one necessarily liked her. So what if she came off as a workaholic and never smiled at the heart felt stories. Happy endings didn't exist where she came from. Even when it all seems great, life reminds you that it sucks and it has control. A roller coaster with the ups and downs. Ups being the opportunities and downs being when it you fell flat on your face. Some of the ups she learn you had to make for yourself.

She quickly rushed to her desk placing her messenger bag down on her chair before getting out her hard copy of the story to have in front of her if she needed to **sell** her story to the desk. If it came down to talking her story into the print then she was ready. Her debate teacher in college said she would have a made a great lawyer. Too bad she wanted to uncover out the facts, not present them. She slowly walked to his office and gave a rap of three quick knocks.

"Enter." A voice said.

Asher opened the door and stepped inside. Sitting at desk looking at a folder was her boss, MC. He was reviewing the other stories for the afternoon press release. After her hard work she didn't see why hers wouldn't be one on the list.

"Ah, you're here, good. Did you gets the facts about the fire that was done **overnight**."

"I did and here is the story."

"Story? I didn't ask for the story. Darnell, I wanted you to go to scene and get the facts to bring back here and present to me." MC said as he glared at her. This was getting ridiculous. She always did this. Just did anything she wanted without asking questions.

"I know, but I figured we could this out on the earlier addition if I wrote it. What happened is important and the people deserve to know." Asher responded.

"Let me see it." MC said putting his hand out for a leap of faith. He could humor the girl and read the story. If it was what he was expecting then he wouldn't be humoring her. As his eyes roamed the papers he sighed. This was what he was expecting. "I'm sorry Asher, but for now I'm **killing** your story."

"What? Why?" Asher shouted. Her heart dropped from her chest outside her body. She was told that she was cold sometimes, but this was below.

"Hold on. I'm not saying that I'm killing the story in general. It's exactly what the people want to hear. It's that I'm killing your version."

"Do I get an explanation?" Asher asked. This always happened. She would have an amazing story and he would take her work and give it to someone else to writer who got the credit. "I did everything I supposed to."

"You lack compassion. You make it seem like the Pokémon going missing isn't as bad as it is. Yes, the child was saved and going to be fine, but what about the hero. What is being done to look for the Pokémon? If the police can't give an answer then we say it, but you didn't mention the Pokémon once. That's what our readers want to see and our bored is looking for someone that can connect with people on that level within the world we live in."

"A world with Pokémon." Asher deadpanned.

"Yes." MC said before taking in her tone. He eyed her wondering if he should even ask. "Do you hate them? Pokémon?"

Asher was quiet. No, she didn't hate them per say, but one could describe it as hate.

"Then why did you send me out there?" Asher asked as she stared at her boss's eyes.

"Asher, you're good at getting the information. You get the facts right and you're able to connect the dots. Honestly, I wonder if you made the right career choice."

"What?"

" **Human interest** stories these days, in this line of work, deal with Pokémon. People want to know what these great trainers are up to and what these amazing creatures called Pokémon are doing in the world. No one is interested in hearing about simple novelties like new shops opening." MC explained.

"Neither am I." Asher said.

"Exactly. I was hoping sending you to this scene would enlighten you."

"What are you trying to say?" Asher growled out. She had a feeling about what he was trying to say. Everyone said it.

"You'll never be like Gabby and Ty." He bluntly said. "To get any further you would need to accept Pokémon into your work. Those two are even trainers and you don't even own a Pokémon yourself."

Asher was about to answer when the door was thrown open and one of their **contributing editors** came rushing in. She never bothered to learn his name.

"MC, I was coming in for our meeting when a desk assistant told me that they heard on the scanners about suspicious activity near a warehouse. That this is a lead on where the missing Pokémon are!"

MC looked surprised at the news. That was fast. The police had been on this case no longer than they had on reporting on. They needed to get someone out there fast or they could miss out something big before someone else did.

"Let's get someone out there right away and..."

"I'll do it." MC and the editor turned toward the only voice left in the room, Asher. "I'll do it. Send me out there. You said I need compassion in my work and this is most I'm ever going to close to. I'm not going to be able to avoid it."

"I don't know. I can always call Gabby and Ty back from..."

"You said I'll never be like them, but I want the chance to be like who I can be. Please, give me another chance."

He had given her many chances. Did she deserve another one? The girl had great writing and reporting skills, even he couldn't deny that. He would have published the story if their audiences weren't looking for Pokémon related stories. Even if she rewrote and handed back in within the hour with the needed additions he'd publish it. He already had someone type up a story about the same event. Asher just needed to see Pokémon for what they truly were.

"Alright." He sighed. "This is your only chance. You'll have to get out to the warehouse and bring back any important facts given. Tomorrow I want the **hard lead** and the facts about what you found out. From there I'll decide if I'm allowing you to do the **follow** story."

"Thank you." Asher said as she bowed to her boss before taking the address from the editor, grabbing her bag, and rushing out the door. She wasn't going to lose her job or be demoted to a desk assistant. That would be the end for her. If she was ever set back she didn't think she'd recover. She might as well quit. Despite her excitement for the opportunity she felt nervous. That fear was still open as she now needed to present feelings toward Pokémon. Shouldn't be that hard and shouldn't be too much trouble.

"Are you sure about this sir?" the editor asked.

"If she sees what I want her to see than yes."

 **AN: That's chapter 1 everyone! I really hope this helps my funk. This was just an introduction chapter so it was relatively short. The next should be longer and feature Pokémon! Hope you all liked the new story and are excited for what's to come! Please Review, Favorite, and/or Follow in the meantime until the next update! Bye Friends! See you later!**

 **I bet you all noticed the BOLD words throughout the story. Those are actual terms used in journalism that I put in. Each chapter will feature a word or more and the definitions will be included at the bottom of the chapter! I know I used quite a few in this chapter, but that's to get you use to it and I needed these terms. I hope you like this little extra bit and I'm happy to share with you!**

 **Words of the Chapter:**

 **Lead story:** The major story displayed at the top of Page One.

 **Desk:** A term used by reporters to refer to the city editor's or copy editor's position, as in, "The desk wants this story by noon."

 **Bureau** : A news-gathering office maintained by a newspaper at other than its central location. Papers may have bureaus in the next county, in the state capital, in Washington, D.C., or in foreign countries.

 **Sell:** Presentation a reporter makes to impress the editor with the importance of his or her story.

 **Overnight:** Story usually written late at night for the afternoon newspapers of the next da

 **Kill:** To delete a section from copy or to discard the entire story

 **Human-interest story:** A piece valued more for its emotional impact or oddity than for its importance.  
 **Contributing editor:** Magazine columnist who works under contract and not as an employee of the magazine.

 **Desk assistant:** Entry-level position in television news rooms. Desk assistants handle routine news assignments such as monitoring wire services and listening to police scanners.

 **Hard lead:** A lead that reports a new development or newly discovered fact

 **Follow:** A story supplying further information about an item that has already been published; folo is an alternate spelling.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Here's chapter 2 of Potential Investigated! Sorry it took so long to get up but I needed to figure out the direction I wanted to go. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Pokémon!**

" _ **Future shock is the shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them to much change in too short of time." –Alvin Toffler**_

" _ **Everything can change in an instant. And then there is only before and after."**_

Chapter 2

Asher rode her bike toward the warehouse north of town. The warehouse was normally empty that businesses rented out for storage for a limited time. Last time there were artifacts that were going to be transported to Slateport City. Instead of going straight up to the building she took a detour toward the trees to hide herself. Stopping her bike about half a mile back she walked the rest of way. She knew for this she was going to have to get down and dirty. As she reached the bushes she took out her binoculars to try and see inside.

She couldn't quite see inside. She'd have to get closer to get a better look inside if she wanted to do some real **investigative reporting**. She carefully walked up the building hiding along the sidings. She carefully go up on a crate and pulled out her camera. She was glad she always brought it with her. Carefully standing on her crate she brought herself up to the window. Ashur's eyes widen seeing what she could see inside.

She might not like Pokémon in simple terms, but this seemed so wrong. This was clearly on the range of being a **felony**. Her camera and eyes were catching everything. No one was going to believe her. Three cages stacked high with sorrow faced Pokémon in each. Clipboards were attached to each one and she couldn't quite make out what any on them were saying. Lab equipment also scattered around the place on the metal tables. She needed a closer look and the window happen to be open. Ashur slowly pushed he window open further to get in and slowly slipped in before dropping to the ground. Luckily no human guards were inside or else they might have heard her. Looking around she went to the nearest cage where an Electrike laid. It slowly lifted it head and stared at her. Ashur paid no mind to the Pokémon and looked at the clipboard attached.

"Hm...Pokémon unaffected...To be determined. No bid? What are they doing?" Asher said before looking to the above it. "Pokémon determined successfully infected with the virus, bidding will begin next week? Are they auctioning them after experimentation?"

She looked to the table and saw a needle before looking to the Electrike who was still staring at her. She sighed. Sometimes doing **field experiments** were cool, but she didn't like this one. She raised the needle and showed it to the electric type. Instantly the Pokémon reacted growling at her and showing teeth.

"Grrrr."

"It's okay. I'm not going too." Asher said putting it back down. She made sure to get the response on her camera. "Don't worry."

Quickly taking her phone from her pocket she snapped photos of what she was seeing as well as the information on the clipboards. She needed to get out and call her boss. He needed to know right away as she also needed to call the police. As she took a last look around even she knew what whoever was doing to these Pokémon wasn't right. She slowly moved the camera around before saving the video and turned to leave as she placed it back into her bag.

As Asher turned around she bumped into a cage that proceed to fall to the floor. Unable to catch it in time at the risk of the camera it clanged against the ground. She winced and looked around. The only ones who heard that were the Pokémon. She quickly looked to the cage to find it...empty. She could have sworn she had a seen a Pokémon in this one a moment ago. Looking around for it she didn't see it. She shrugged her shoulders thinking she just imaged it.

"What was that?" a voice said from outside.

'Crap.' Asher thought made a break for the window. Apparently her **sniff** was over. She'd have to come back. She would come back. She made to the window and jumped grabbing the window seal. She cursed as she missed and tried again having better weighted herself. She didn't think her bag weighed that much with her camera and other items inside. She didn't put her phone in there this time as it was in her pocket.

"Hey! Stop right there!" a voice shouted. Knowing better than to turn and look at the two guards she crawled through the window. By the time they could have gotten any chance at grabbing her she was already gone.

"After her!"

Asher jumped to the ground and instantly broke out into a sprint back to where she parked her bike. If she got back there she would be okay and be able to make it back into town. She could hear shouting behind her and realized the people were on her tail. She smiled seeing her bike in sight and quickly hopped on and quickly rode back into town.

The guards could only watch as the intruder rode off on a bike toward Mauville City. They didn't have any chance catching her especially on foot or have means of a Pokémon attempt. They weren't provided Pokémon yet from the boss having just arrived in town. One of the guards pulled out his phone.

"Boss, we might have a situation here." He said to the person on the other line. There was pause as the boss was answering his guard. "Yeah, that's the one I'm sure."

* * *

When Asher reached the office what seemed like minutes later she was out of breath and exhausted. She collapsed on the bench in from of the office and took a minute to herself as she was coming off the adrenaline rush. That was insane and couldn't see how people do that daily. However, she had to admit that it was awesome. What wasn't awesome was what was happening a couple miles outside the city. She got and turned around and smacked into the door.

"Ow." She said rubbing her face to sooth it. She tried the door again and it wouldn't open. It was locked. "Weird."

MC needed to know about this now. Not tomorrow. This was important. She pulled her phone from her pocket and scrolled through her contacts finding his name and hitting talk. It rang a couple times before he answered.

"Asher? What is it now?" MC answered rather rudely.

Asher rolled her eyes before she answered quickly, "You were right, the missing Pokémon were there and even worse they are being experimented on or something."

"Slow down. What?" MC asked.

"You heard me. Those Pokémon are in danger. You want compassion well I'm telling you we need to set this up now. This isn't press news, but for the media."

"Asher, I know you worked hard, but have seen the time?" he asked.

Now that he mentioned no, she hadn't. She looked around for a clock and saw it on the wall beside her. It was eleven o'clock at night. Oh. That's why. The news was already over and everyone had gone home. Now that she thought about it more it made sense. She presented her rejected story before the afternoon press release and it take a little while to ride out. She didn't even realize it had gotten dark.

"Oh. Sorry." She apologized.

MC sighed, "It's fine. Asher, go home and get some sleep and come to the office early tomorrow and we'll get this settled."

"Shouldn't we at least tell the police?" Asher asked. They needed to save those Pokémon.

"Tomorrow. We can't do much about it now at this time and I want to make what we have to solid before we start something we can't back up. I don't want to lose my job based on your evidence." MC explained. "Asher?"

"Fine." Ashur reluctantly agreed. "Tomorrow."

* * *

Asher got home about fifteen minutes and tiredly put her key into her apartment door. She opened the door, turned on the lights, and tossed her keys and bag on the table before collapsing on the couch. She groaned and closed her eyes hoping sleep could claim her.

"Ra."

Asher quickly sat up and looked around. She could have sworn she heard a voice. She looked around her apartment and couldn't see anyone. She breathed thinking she was just hearing things. She experience so much today and she actually felt horrible that she couldn't free those Pokémon. She had no way to open the cage and even if so she would have been caught. She shook her head.

"Ral?"

Asher's eyes darted to her bag that was currently wiggling. Her eyes widen questioning why he bag was moving. She carefully grabbed the flap of her bag and quickly flipped it up. Staring back at seated comfortably in her bag was a Ralts looking up at her with its reddish pink eyes peeking out from under its head.

"Ah!" Asher screamed and quickly slapped her hand over her mouth realizing she screamed. She didn't want to wake her neighbors and get in any trouble. The Ralts squealed and teleported into a chair across the room. Asher breathed heavy for a moment before catching her breath. "What are you? How did you?"

"Ralts?" the Pokémon questioned. "Ralts!"

Asher instantly grabbed her head as her mind was flooded with images. Being a psychic type she was aware the type were able to telepathic communicate with others, but she didn't think Ralts was strong enough. Apparently she had been wrong about him. He showed her all that happened to him. She saw him being taken from his home off Route 102. She saw what exactly they were doing to those Pokémon and what they did to Ralts too. She could almost feel the pin pricks of the needles. She saw herself coming and knocking the cage holding Ralts to only have it break open giving the Pokémon a chance to teleport into her bag to escape. She felt a sense of overwhelming sense of relief. Shaking her head she stared at the Pokémon.

The more she looked at the Pokémon the feelings set in. She sat down on the couch on the couch feeling conflicted. She felt so sorry for those Pokémon, for Ralts, but at the same time she couldn't help think about all her past experiences with Pokémon that made her, well, not like them.

She wasn't obviously when it came to Pokémon. Far from it. She knew that the Pokémon in front of her was a Ralts, a psychic and fairy type. She was also aware Ralts only came toward people with cheery and positive disposition. Asher was sure that wasn't her especially toward Pokémon.

"Why?" she asked him.

"Ralts." Ralts said as he open his arms up.

"Free. Because I set you free and want to set your friends?" Asher guessed.

"Ralts." The Pokémon nodded.

Asher rubbed her eyes. She didn't know what to think. Now she didn't think she'd have a Pokémon in her life and here one was sitting in her chair. She didn't know what to do and scratched her head.

"Now what?" Asher asked Ralts. Ralts didn't answer except with a growl coming from his tiny stomach. Ralts blushed and grabbed his midsection. "Hungry?"

"Ral." Ralts answered carefully and slowly.

"Well then let's see if I have something you can eat." Ashur said walking toward the kitchen.

Ralts carefully looked into the kitchen at the human. She was interesting per say. He was well aware she didn't have the most positive outlook on Pokémon, but she was a million times better than the people he was with. He was safe here. She was sorting through her cabinets and he heard rustling. He figure she found something taking a package from a bigger box before throwing the said box away.

"Well I couldn't find much but I have this. It's a sweet bun. I usually have them on the go for breakfast but it should be okay for you." Asher said unwrapping and handing out the bun to the psychic type.

Using Confusion Ralts lifted the bun into his arms and smelled it. It smelled good and safe. He had seen her the entire time so there was no way she could have done anything plus she said she eats them. Cautiously he took a bite and instantly was overcome with the sweetness and softness.

"Ralts!" He cheered happily for the first time in months and gobbled down his treat.

"Glad you like it." Asher said calmly.

"Raaallllts!" Ralts yawned as he then looked up to Asher.

"Go ahead. You won't have to worry." Asher reassured him as he then curled on the chair and went to sleep. Asher knew what he was silently asking her. She didn't know whether or not this place was safe but it was for right now.

Asher stared at the Pokémon wondering what to do with him. She guessed she'd decided that tomorrow after she helped his friends that were still trapped in there. Looking at the clock to see it was after midnight she might as well turn in to get a head start on tomorrow. She could finally feel everything coming down and she just wanted to sleep. Taking a glance at Ralts she grabbed her cardigan and draped it over the sleeping Pokémon. Asher then turned and went to her room.

 **AN: Well that's the end of chapter 2! I already know what I'm doing for three so I hoping it shouldn't be too much longer of a wait for it. That just shows what extreme shock and becoming compassionate can do. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed and will Review, Favorite, and Follow in the meantime! Bye!**

 **Words of the Chapter:**

 **Investigative reporting:** The pursuit of information that has been concealed, such as evidence of wrongdoing.

 **Felony** : Serious crime punishable by death or imprisonment.

 **Field experiment:** A research technique in which the reporter deliberately takes some action to observe the effects. For example, a perfectly tuned automobile could be taken to several repair shops to find out if the mechanics would invent problems that required fixing.

 **Sniff:** The preliminary phase of an investigation.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Wow! Thanks for the support everyone! I appreciate it so much that I was so motivated to get this chapter up as soon as I could! If you didn't noticed I changed the way 'Ashur' is spelled to Asher. I like it better that way and I made a couple mistakes last chapter about that. I also hope you guys like the gift I gave you on my birthday! ;)**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Pokémon.**

 **Chapter 3**

Ralts woke up the next morning warm and is wasn't just the rising sun shining in through the windows. He opened his eyes and looked to see a tan colorful fabric draped across his body. He picked it up in his small hands and held it close to his body. It was so warm that made him just want to cuddle back up with it and go back to sleep. However, before the thought could be carried out his attention turned toward the back of the apartment where he heard an alarm. Said alarm that was turned off moments later. He heard movement and cautiously watch the closed door. Minutes later the door opened and Asher stepped out dressed for the day in jeans, boots, and a suit vest.

Asher sighed before she opened the door. She wanted to think all of yesterday was a dream, but she knew that wasn't true. She barely got any sleep last night because every time she closed her eyes she saw the images of those Pokémon locked away. Eventually she just passed out, but that didn't mean she was restful. She opened the door and turned around and looked out.

Asher jumped and took in a gasp. Out of everything that happened yesterday she had forgotten she wasn't alone in her apartment. For the first time she had someone else there but herself. She packed up at eighteen and graduated at twenty-two to have her job shortly after as she just turned twenty-three. It had been five years since that day she was done with the world she reluctantly lived and now was being thrown back in. It was just easier to block it out and sadly that meant everyone she cared about.

It wasn't that her family didn't want to come see her, she just didn't want them too. They would surely bring him and she wasn't sure if she could face him out of every living being that lived in her old home. Her mother, no problem. Her father, she'd rather avoid him at all cost, but she'd take him before the poor soul who loyally waited at the door. She tightened her fist and nodded. Her own problems could come later, or not at all, because right now she needed to focus on those missing Pokémon who were being abused.

"Ralts?" Ralts asked as he saw Asher come out to the living room.

"Don't worry. I'm going to help your friends. Stay here. I'll be back later." Asher said grabbing her bag and keys before going to the door. "Uh...help yourself to whatever you find." With that she shut the door and was off.

* * *

Asher looked concerned as MC looked over the pictures and video evidence on her camera. She studied his face and could see that he was at least concerned. About what she didn't know, but if he didn't authorize for someone to go out there she'd certainly try too.

"I think it's solid." MC answered and Asher beamed as he handed back her camera to hold on to in case they got something more. "What do you say we go check out the warehouse? If their still there we'll call the police."

"And if not?" Asher asked.

"We'll hand in the evidence to them and all them to take care of what they can."

"Right."

For some reason returning the warehouse didn't seem to take as long as before. One moment Asher remembered talking to MC in his office and now she was walking up the familiar path toward the warehouse. She cautiously looked around. Some of the guards had spotted her yesterday and no doubt they told their boss about the intruder. She hoped they weren't too late. She was beginning to feel uneasy as they saw the warehouse and no one was outside.

The door was wide open and nothing was inside. Asher stared at the empty warehouse with a pain striking though her chest. They were too late. They had easily used the cover of night to escape and relocate the Pokémon elsewhere probably much farther away. She failed them. She failed Ralts and now she couldn't help think about what she was going to say to him when she got home.

"We wasted too much time." Asher said.

"Like I said, I'll take the evidence to the police. Why don't you take the rest of the day off?" he suggested.

"What about this? You can't expect me to just go home and forget about it." Asher said.

"I'm not telling you to forget, just to relax and get a fresh start tomorrow and let the police get started. Plus you'll need to available if they have questions. They don't need up meddling quite yet. Now I just need your evidence." MC explained holding out his hand.

Asher thought about what he said. He was right. The police would want to analyze and investigate before talking to her. In the end he was right. She had nothing to work on so being on the office would be pointless and he was protecting her in some way.

"Fine." Asher agreed as she pulled the evidence out her bag.

"You're doing well." MC said with smile. She was actually making strides and getting somewhere. He would make sure all she gave him would get into the right hands and this problem could be solved.

* * *

Asher walked out of the market with a look one might describe as depressing. She wasn't necessarily depressed but just upset and brooding about what happened that morning. She was hoping for results and in the end only got that someone else was going to look into it. She wanted to help. Looking down at her bag in her hand gave her a sense she might smile seeing Ralts's face when she came in and gave him one. He loved the sweet bun she gave him last night so she went and bought two boxes before heading home like she was told too. She looked forward to seeing the small Pokémon as she put her key into the door.

"Hey Ralts. I'm home and..." Asher lost her speech when she looked inside her apartment. The bag in hand dropped to the floor making a thud. Her mouth stayed wide open, but no words came out as she processed the scene. Her apartment was trashed. Drawers were ripped open, fabric torn, and tables broken.

Remembering something important locked away she ran to the bedroom and toward her closet. She tore open the door and search for a lock box in the back corner. The box locked untouched, but she quickly typed in the code and opened it to find the bag she knew laid inside. She breathed in relief. It was still there. Back for during that time when Pokémon...Pokémon?! Ralts!

"Ralts!" Asher yelled as she put the bag on her back and ran out of the bedroom back to the living room.

"Ral!" She heard. She looked to the couch and saw Ralts crawl out from beneath it.

"Thank goodness." She said as she went to his side. "Are you okay?" He looked unharmed but she wanted to be sure.

"Ral." He nodded. He was slightly shaking, but otherwise he was alright.

"What happened?" Asher asked softly. She gasped as the emotions flooded through her and she saw flashes of a Pokémon crashing through her window and attacking Ralts. Ralts apparently teleported and the Pokémon continued to wreck her place. The Pokémon she knew was a Vigoroth and they were strong. At least it was over. "You'll be okay."

"Ralts!" he screamed.

Asher then turned and saw what he was screaming at. Vigoroth was still in her apartment and glaring at her. He had been hiding in kitchen which wasn't visible from the living room. His claws looked sharp and still had pieces of her curtains attached. That wasn't what scared Asher the most; it was the menacing, murderous look in his eyes as he stared at her.

"Roth!" he roared as he jumped at her.

Asher moved and grabbed Ralts and jumped away. Her feet crushed the broken glass under feet as she heard Vigoroth collide and break the couch.

"Ralts!" Ralts grabbed tightly on her Asher as he forced all the power he had and successfully teleported them away.

* * *

Asher opened her eyes to find herself outside her office. She hurriedly looked around and didn't see the Pokémon had followed them. She looked down to the Pokémon in her arms. He saved them after she saved him. It was just the heat of moment when she grabbed him. It had been years since she touched any Pokémon. Looking down at the scared Pokémon she pulled him tighter in her embrace. She never thought again that she'd feel sorry for a Pokémon as much as she did now. He had been through so much in last two days and who knows from before. She knew what she had to do and it isn't wasn't sitting around and waiting.

"Here, you'll be safe in here." Asher said opening the bag and placing Ralts inside.

Ralts nodded and allowed her to put him inside. From he knew about and felt from Asher the contents of the bag weren't what he thought they would be. There were several healing items that trainers used and a smaller bag that was open enough to reveal some Poké Balls that were attached to some kind of belt. He made sure not to touch those. However, this made him question, why would she have all this?

MC was going over some paperwork and tomorrow articles when he looked up and gasped. Asher was walking into his office hair a mess and looked worse from when he left her that morning.

"Asher, I thought I told you to go home." MC said seeing the girl walk into his office. "What happened?"

"You did and I was attacked by a Vigoroth." Asher said.

"What?" MC said surprised.

"Yeah. I got home and out of nowhere this Vigoroth was in my apartment and attacked me. My place is trashed." Asher further explained.

"How did you escape?" MC asked.

Asher then took her bag off her shoulder and opened it slightly to reveal the occupant inside. MC gasped seeing Ralts inside. The two locked eyes and MC realized what actually was in her bag.

"Ralts!" Ralts gasped and ducked back inside the bag.

"Asher, that's a Pokémon." MC said in disbelief.

"I'm aware of what it is. When I went and investigated the warehouse yesterday, I came home and found it in my bag. I'm under the impression it teleported inside to escape its captors and get help." Asher explained.

"I see." MC said. "While you're here the police haven't made any headway from the evidence..."

"How could they not?!" Asher reacted.

"They have more important matters to intend to than something that barely has any leads. When they find something they said we'll be the first to know." MC explained.

"Yeah right." Asher snorted. "I'm taking a leave of absence."

"Excuse me?" MC asked.

"I'm leaving the city. I'm going to search of the missing Pokémon. In a way, I'm a taking this as my **beat**. The subject of the missing Pokémon coincides with the motives of the captors and I plan to cover that. You said I need to make it with a story about Pokémon. Well, here it is and I'm going to do it with or without support."

MC sighed, "Alright. I'll put you on the job, but I'm not sure I'll be able to back you up as much as I'd like."

"That's fine. I can support myself. I can figure out what I need. It'll just take some time." Asher explained. She sighed to herself. She had a plan, but wasn't quite sure about it. It wasn't just her that was going to make the plan work. She had to count on others besides herself. She didn't have very many options left.

"What are you planning to do?" MC asked.

"You once told me that I needed to look at a different career path. Well, I am, but at the same time I'm not. I want uncover these mysteries and wrongdoing, but at the same time I want to tell about them. I think I want turn toward **investigative journalism and report** on that. That's what I'm going to do. I'll be leaving after I visit the warehouse again. Then I'm heading toward Littleroot Town." Asher explained.

"What do you plan to find there?" MC asked.

"A way to figure this all out." Asher said as she turned and began to walk out of the office. MC only looked on as he watched her walk away unable to do anything about what she doing. He could only sit and wait to see what would happen.

* * *

The place was deserted when she returned to the warehouse. She could movement in her bag as Ralts was trying to see where she had taken them. She finally felt her bag move and realized that Ralts was using Confusion to open her bag. She saw the zipper move and Ralts then poked his head and climbed onto her shoulder.

"Ralts?" he asked noticing where she had taken him. He didn't want to be there.

"I'm sorry, but we won't be here long. I'm looking for something."

"Ralts?"

"I don't' know until I find it. Just something I can possibly use to track what those thieves will do and were doing. Hopefully that and find some facts."

"Ral. Ra Ralts?" he asked placing his tiny arms into the air.

"Well, I plan to head toward Route 103. I'm taking you home." Asher said as she looked to him. As she looked at the small Pokémon he eye caught something on the ground. She turned around and walked over to what she saw.

"Hey, can you do me a favor?" Asher asked. "Can you use Confusion on that to pick it up?"

"Ralts." He nodded and his eyes glowed. The piece of paper covered in dirt slowly lifted out of the cover and floated until it was in front of Asher's eyes.

"Report on successes and fails of the Virus Program?" Asher said reading the top line. She then placed her bag on the ground before taking out some supplies she had liberated from one of the investigative reporters at the office. He had plenty of supplies he wasn't going to miss much and plus he was funded by the Mauville News. They would just think they needed to restock. One was a file folder which she opened. "Can you put it in here?"

"Ralts." Ralts said as he slowly slid the paper into the folder.

"Thanks."

"Ralts?" He asked looking up at her.

"Well, I said I was going home and I meant it. First we're going to Route 102."

"Ralts?" Why would she want to go there? There was nothing of value or remotely concerned about the captive Pokémon.

"I'm taking you home."

 **AN: That's the end of the chapter! I hope you liked the gift. Lol. Please Review, Favorite, and Follow in the meantime. See you later!**

 **Words of the Chapter:**

 **Beat: A reporter's assigned area of responsibility. A beat may be an institution, such as the courthouse; a geographical area, such as a small town; or a subject, such as science. The term also refers to an exclusive story.**

 **Cover: To keep abreast of significant developments on a beat or to report on a specific event. The reporter covering the police beat may be assigned to cover a murder.**

 **Investigative reporting: The pursuit of information that has been concealed, such as evidence of wrongdoing.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry about the delay but I've been having computer and work problems. Somethings have gotten better but can't help much. Anyway, here is the next chapter and hopefully more to come!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

Chapter 4

Ralts stared at Asher in disbelief. He was aware of what she said to him, but he couldn't believe it. She was taking him home to Route 103. Despite how hard he tried he only had blurred images of what home looked like. He wanted to remember what home was like. Asher told him not to worry about the others. She would get them home too, even if it took one at a time. He could feel she was telling the truth as the feeling poured off her in waves. He sat quietly in her bag as he listened to the conversation Asher was having with the bus company.

"Really? That's the cheapest one you have?" Asher asked.

"Yes ma'am."

"How long until it leaves?"

Ralts wasn't sure what was going on, but Asher mentioned that she pulled everything out of saving and such, but apparently time wasn't on their side.

"You can buy a ticket up until an hour before the bus leaves which is in two hours. Hope to see you again."

Asher then walked over to a bench and sighed before sitting down. She carefully placed her bag next to her and flipped it open.

"Ralts?" Ralts questioned her.

"Don't supposed you could teleport?" Asher asked.

"Ralts." Ralts said before teleporting just only a few yards away before coming right back.

"Not very far and you have to be able to picture where you're going within range huh?" Asher guessed.

"Ralts." He nodded.

"You see. Any road travel to Slateport City is blocked right now because of the upgrades to the cycling path. People aren't really allowed to walk through it and I'm not a trainer so it would be dangerous for either us. The only way we have is taking a bus to the edge 123 catch a ferry to Lilycove before taking another to Petalburg. Despite it being longer, it is cheap on my checkbook and might allow me check out the other side of the region. Is that okay?" Asher asked.

Ralts stared at Asher. Why was she asking him? Whatever way he was fine with seeing as he was getting to go home.

"Ralts." Ralts agreed.

"Thank you."

Within the next two hours Asher and Ralts were on the bus going toward Route 123. The entire trip would probably take about four days to a week. It just depended on travel speed and any delays. It was the second boat trip that would take the longest and they would be on the ferry toward Lilycove by the end of the day. Ralts decided it would be best to try and get some sleep for now. Snuggling down next to the comfort of Asher's body heat he quickly feel asleep.

* * *

 _They were all staring at him and looking over the papers in their hands. What did they want with him? He didn't understand why they would just take him from his home and...experiment on him. These weren't the humans he saw on the roads. They loved Pokemon. He was only able to weakly cry out and growl at the people who dare call themselves human._

 _"Sir, #447 hasn't been responding to the stream introduced." a voice said._

 _"Leave it there with the rest of them. The virus is said to spread through contact with others. We need each of these Pokemon to contract it if they're going to what the buyers want."_

 _Wherever he was dark and cold. Only dim lights showed the stone walls and hurting Pokemon. He was brought back to those cages except in this one he wasn't alone. All other Pokemon who had crazed looks and staring at one anothe waiting for another to strike._

 _"Zang!" a white and red beast cried as it slashed at a Pokemon who backed into it. The cages were so cramped they couldn't help it._

 _"Roth!" the victim screamed and slashed back._

 _The two Pokemon brawled and smashed into the sides. Other Pokemon scattered in fear while other prepared to attack with what means they had. The inhibitors devices allowed them not to use any of their special abilities. They only had natural means of claws and teeth to defend themselves. He had none and could only coward in the corner._

 _He wanted to go home and be with his mother again. He was sorry was wandering off. He was sorry for being so weak and not being able to stop his capture; being too weak to get out of here and save everyone. He felt a sense of regret. Fear. And this wasn't how he knew these emotions._

* * *

Ralts was startled awake by this unsettling feeling. He shook the nightmare from his mind and realized this feeling wasn't his own. He nudged his head out of the bag and saw they were no longer on the bus and while he slept they must have boarded the ferry to Lilycove. He saw Asher staring out the window at the incoming mass they were gliding toward. This feeling was coming from her. The look in her eyes told she was scared. What was she scared about?

"Ralts?" Ralts said touching her arm. Ralts's eyes shot wide open as he watched Asher flinch at his touch. He could feel a sense of fear run through her. A guility feeling washed over him as he knew he must have scared her and yanked her from her deep thoughts. He wondered just what she was thinking about. "Ralts?"

"I'm okay. The sooner we get from here the better." Asher said hopefully.

A bell sound rang thtough the speakers echoing across the boat.

"Attention Travelers, we are about to arrive at Mt. Pyre. We will have a two hour delay before boarding to Lilycove City. Please enjoy your time and hope to see you again!"

"Two...hours..." Asher said is disbelief.

Asher placed her hand to chest. She wasn't going to freak. She couldn't. Not now. She took in deep breaths in attempt to calm herself. A long time ago she promised herself she wouldn't ever come back here. It was just too painful. Just being so close reminded her of everything that happened. The way she couldn't stop it. The ways she could have prevented it. She didn't think they'd stop here on the way to Lilycove City, but it seemed like she was wrong.

"Ra Ralts?" Ralts asked again. Her emotions were scaring him. He never felt this from her. He again put his hand on her arm to let her know it was alright. Despite he didn't know what was wrong he was going to comfort her. She had done too much not too.

Asher looked down at the Pokemon beside her. Right now she cared for him until she could get him home. This remindered her of before. The panic she felt moments ago was disappearing into a sense of calm and acceptance. As she exited the boat she took a breath. She would alright and took this as a sign. She disliked Pokemon for a reason and the reason was right here. With two hours before having to board the next ferry she might as well take the chance and face some inner demons.

"Do you mind if we go somewhere first?" Asher asked looking down to her travel companion.

"Ral." Ralts agreed. He didn't mind and it wasn't like he had much of a choice to begin with. He was the one being carried around.

* * *

Ralts realized that had gone outside to where some of the graves were located. The small psychic and fairy type then realized they were going off the main path. He looked around and saw some of the graves were well taken care of. It was nice to know that some humans cared for Pokemon even after their death. He then looked to one sitting near the cliffside under a tree. The area was taken care but it looked like no one had visited it in years. He watched Asher walked to the bench next to the grave and saw down. Ralts then climbed out of the bag and crawled over Asher's lap to get a better look. As he crossed over he stopped feeling a drop on his head. He instantly looked up expecting rain, but saw tears in Asher's eyes.

"Ralts?" He asked. He felt such sadness coming from her.

Asher placed her hand on the stone and sobbed. Her heart was breaking and she kept telling herself it was a bad idea to come here. She thought she could do it, but she didn't feel that way now.

"I'm sorry." She sobbed. "I'm sorry." Asher opened her teary eyes to see Ralts looking at her. The look he was giving her made her feel worse. "Don't feel sorry for me."

"Ral?"

"I deserve this."

"Ralts!" He yelled at her. The sadness he felt from her shouldn't be wished upon anyone. He knew how she felt as this feeling wasn't new to him. This was what he felt being ripped away from his family. She gave him hope that he would one day he would see his family again. She saved him from the bad people and was going to help the others. She was a good person and didn't deserve this pain.

"You don't understand." She started. "Only a handful of people know this but I used to be trainer."

"Ral?!" Ralts said in shock. He never would have guessed. Her apparent tolerence for Pokemon was clear when they first met. He then looked to the satchel bag and thought of the other bag inside. The bag with everything a trainer would need.

"It was nine years ago when I was fourteen. I was so excited to be a trainer and got my partner and everything. If you haven't noticed I tend to stick my nose where it doesn't belong. About a couples years after the start of my journey I got into some trouble. I ended up getting involved with poachers. I couldn't stand by and let them take those Pokemon and use them in underground fights. I had to stop them and it wasn't enough. They were all aggressive, Pokemon and humans alikes. They killed my best friend and I barely escaped with my life. That's who is there. After I recovered I couldn't bare the thought of being a trainer. I couldn't look at my other Pokemon and couldn't stand to catch any other and risk it, especially after I failed. So I ran and focused on anything but Pokemon so I began to resent them, almost hate them. After seeing what happened to you and those other Pokemon I couldn't let that happened again. No one would care for them. When I heard we were stopping I was frightened. I hadn't been here since they were buried. To take this job I knew I needed to face this. Thank you Ralts."

"Ralts?" Why was she thanking her?

"You gave me something to believe in for Pokemon and motivation to come here. I know now that I can do this. I have to do this for all those." Asher said rising off the bench and kneeling down to the stone. She placed her forehead against the stone before kissing the cold rock. It was alright now and she felt a burden had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Next ferry boarding to Lilycove City will leave in fifteen minutes. All passengers please make way to the loading docks!" a intercom announced.

"Come on." Asher said wiping her face to eliminate any signs of tears. "Let's get you home."

Ralts climbed back into the bag and looked up at his...friend. She helped him in ways he only dreamed about and was glad he was able to help her through this. This was a big step for her and she shared this with him. She didn't have too. He felt privileged to get to know her story and that she would share it with him. Especially him, a Pokemon. He turned around and looked at the grave of the Pokemon who he believed was very luckly to have a trainer like her.

 **AN: That's the end of the chapter! I hope you liked it and now understand what's up with Asher. Haven't quite decided who her partner was but I've got some ideas as it is brought up later. No vocabulary for this chapters as this was mainly about feels. I hope you got some. Thanks for reading and hope you'll Review, Favorite, and Follow! Bye!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Life has been rough so it's been hard to update. Basically now I have no laptop so I have to use the app and type from my phone if I want to update which I have been wanting to do for a while. So far it's not so bad...until my thumbs cramp. I'm going to try and get on a better schedule, but who knows how that will work. Until then I hope you'll bear with me. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Pokemon.**

 **Chapter 5**

Mossdeep City wasn't as big as Mauville or even Lilycove. Being on a secluded island made it seem bigger, but the actual city was more spread out. The main attraction was the Space Center and it was as big as people exclaimed it to be. Asher could see the building from the docks and was on her list to visit as she called ahead asking for information about reading that matched the report she found in the warehouse. Luckily she had plenty of time before the boat left for Petalburg to get her information and shop.

"Let's see." Asher said to herself as she browsed the shelves. " You're going to need some food."

"Ralts!" He then pointed to a purple and pink box. He looked to her and gave her a huge smile. That brand was made with Payapa berries.

"I guess." Asher said giving a light eye roll before grabbing the box and putting it in the basket. The food wasn't expensive, but certainly wasn't cheap either. She could afford it right now while he was in her company.

As they walked out of the mart Ralts decided he didn't want to sit in her bag anymore. He wanted to stretch his legs and it was the perfect time. The weather was beautiful and the streets were empty so he didn't have to worry about getting stepped on. As Asher put her newly bought items into her bag Ralts decided to go on ahead toward the center. He knew he was a slow walker, she'd catch up easily in seconds.

"Mommy!" a high pitched and loud voice called. "A Ralts! Mommy I want it!"

Asher looked up to see a little blonde girl running toward Ralts who she didn't notice had gone ahead.

"Ra?" Ralts questioned and then saw the girl coming toward him with arms wide open. His eyes widened and started backing away.

"Don't run! I'm going to catch you so I can train under Liz and Tate!" The girl said as she slowed down and carefully walked toward him.

"Ral!" Ralts said in shock and teleported next to Asher. He instantly grabbed her leg and pulled on her jeans. He would hold on to her for dear life if he had too. Asher was his friend and wouldn't let anything happen to him. She promised to take him home. His small body shook in fear for the thought to never see his family again and being somewhere he didn't want to be. He already went through that already and he couldn't do that again.

"Miss, can you help me catch the Ralts?" the girl asked.

Asher looked down and saw Ralts. Her heart broke seeing the fear in his eyes. She slowly moved her leg closer and around him to protect him.

"Well, you see..." Asher started to say before another voice cut her off.

"I'm so sorry about my daughter!" The mother said running up finally catching up.

"Mommy! I want it!" The little girl pointed to Ralts who she could still see. She attempted to sneak around and grab Ralts while her mother had the lady distracted.

"Now dear, I think that Pokémon belongs to her. She's probably it's trainer."

The girl instantly stopped her pursuit and looked defeated. Her mother was right and wasn't a thief. It was wrong to steal other people's Pokémon.

Before Asher could say anything whether to confirm or deny she felt a weight on her shoulder. She turned her head and saw Ralts sitting there with a bright smile on his face. The fear once there long gone and undetectable.

"Ralts!" He cheered as if agreeing with the mother.

"Aw." The little girl said defeated. "Take good care of your Pokémon miss! You've gotta really cool partner!"

Asher smiled to herself and looked to her 'partner'. "Yeah, I do."

"Bye miss! Sorry Ralts." The girl said running off.

"Wait!" The mother called. "Have a good day and sorry about the trouble."

Before Asher could reassure her that it was alright she was gone.

"Why don't we get going to the center?"

"Ralts!" he agreed.

Ralts never moved from his spot on Asher's shoulder. He didn't ask if she wanted him to move and she never said otherwise. Both of them simply enjoyed being closer in each other's company. It was different than being in a bag or a dire situation. They could be at peace without seemingly any worries.

"Asher!"

Asher stopped dead in the middle of the street as her eyes went wide. No one would know the latter except for Ralts being on her shoulder and noticing the distress in her emotions. The psychic and fairy type tilted his head wondering the change upon hearing her name. He then saw the source coming toward them. Two people, one dressed nicely while the other held a camera and bag.

Asher couldn't believe her eyes. She never thought she'd see them in the field, let alone here. Last she heard they didn't have any business in Mossdeep City but that felt like a week ago and she never really bothered with them to begin with. However, her blood begin to boil she kept thinking about before all this madness has started.

 _" You'll never be like Gabby and Ty."_

MC's blunt statement still rang in her mind every day. Every time she got up. Every time she thought about her job. Every time she looked at Ralts. She wanted to prove him wrong, but stthe same time she didn't. She knew he wanted her to let it all go. They were the top reporters in Hoenn and everyone knew them. Compared to them she was basically a **cub.** It made her angry that he could say such harsh comments to his employee, but honestly it felt justified. It fueled her fire and changed her to prove herself to become better.

"So Asher, what are you doing here? MC said you took a leave of absence." Gabby said.

"I'm collecting a **source** my newest **assignment**." Asher vaguely answered.

"Do tell! I want to know what kind of article you're **bylining."** Gabby said.

"Like I'd say anything." Asher deadpanned as she narrowed her eyes. She wasn't stupid. She knew how this operation worked not being a total cub.

"Oh you." Gabby said as she waved at Asher then grabbing her arm. Ralts gave her a small snort unheard to anyone but Asher as he narrowed his gaze at her. He wasn't a fan of the emotions she was giving off and what Asher was feeling. "Well I'll let you in on something good. There are rumors that a mysterious Pokémon was discovered in space! We tried to get a scoopn but they kicked us out. The nerve right?"

"Right." Asher said smiling awkwardly.

"We thought they were going to call the police on us or something." Ty said adjusting the bag. He then looked at the two and saw a third-party staring at his coworker. "Uh, Gabby." He was pointing to where he saw something he didn't expect to see on Asher's shoulder.

"Oh my goodness! You have a Pokémon!" Gabby exclaimed finally seeing Ralts who was staring at her making sure he was seen and aware she was in his personal space. "But I thought you hated..."

"People change." Asher said before she said anything more and removed Gabby from personal space. She then fondly looked to Ralts and rubbed his head. Ralts smiled and rubbed back. She right within herself. People did change. Although she felt like she couldn't forgive herself yet, she felt at least they deserved a second chance after seeing the horrors people put them through. They didn't deserve such harsh treatment especially when it was her being broken.

"I can see that! We were worried after we heard what happened to your apartment. I can't believe someone would let their Pokemon do that. Well, I'm glad to see that you've picked yourself up." Gabby said. A shine flashed in her eyes and she then grabbed Asher's hand which startled the younger. "As of now we're rivals to see who can make the biggest **splash**! Come on Ty, we've got work to do!"

Gabby let go of Asher and started off proudly toward the center.

"See you." Ty said as he followed Gabby.

Asher then sighed thankful they had left. She was a little surprised Gabby didn't pester her further about her assignment. That was fine because she didn't want to talk about it and the fact she didn't have much to begin with anyway.

"Ralts?" Ralts asked as he tapped her head.

"I'm fine. They just frazzle me." Asher said. She then raised an eyebrow at the giggling sound coming from her 'partner'. "You think it's funny?"

"Raaa." Ralts nodded as he tried to hold in his laughter.

"I should have let that little girl take you." Asher replied with no malice in her voice as she then stuck out her tongue.

"Ral!" Ralts gasped and glared clearly acting like he was offended despite he could see she was joking. If she had said that before leaving Mauville he might have believed her.

"We better get going before the boat leaves or they close." Asher said picking up her pace and going inside the building.

"Hello! Welcome to the Mossdeep Space Center, how can I help you?" the receptionist asked as Asher entered the lobby.

"Hi, I'm with the Mauville Press and I called about getting some reports." Asher said flashing her press badge and ID.

"Oh yes! They've right here. We've been busy lately or else one of the leads would have handed them to you." She said pulling out a file with a hefty stack of papers inside. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

"Me too. Thank you." Asher said grabbing the folder. As she made her way out of the center she casually flipped through them skimming the information. What she had asked for was all there in black and white. She was surprised at first to even learn there was even information on what she asked for. All she wanted to know was about any unsual readings that were correlated to the information she gathered at the warehouse.

She thought about the headline and sighed. She hoped her article wouldn't parallel with Gabby's. From what she could see the data found at the warehouse was similar to an undetected organism found in Meteor Falls. Despite having the information and a location to check out didn't stop the sighed as thought about another question.

"Ralts?"

"Good news, bad news. From this I know where to go, but I have no way to detect any of this once I get there." Asher explained.

Ralts then patted her shoulder. He knew she'd figure it out. He had faith in her abilities. He didn't have a reason not to yet.

"Ra ralts?" he asked. He was curious though about what she was going to do about that and now.

"Well I did say I was going to take you home so that's what I'm going to do."

 **AN: There is the end of the chapter. Again I apologize for delays because of technology and myself. Next moment is what Ralts has been waiting for. Hope you'll stay tuned. In the meantime I hope you'll review, favorite, and follow! See ya!**

 **Definitions:**

 **Cub- a trainee reporter. Also known as a rookie or junior reporter**

 **Assignment- a job given to a journalist by an editor**

 **Splash- front page story**

 **Source- an individual who provides information for a story**

 **Byline- the name given to the reporter who writes the story**


End file.
